The Best Reason Synth?

[Heigen5]

I just wish they'd add more graintables...

Yeah more Graintables would be cool or a Malström 2.

[LongFist]

Best stock synth in Reason? All of them. But if I'd really need to keep only one, I'd choose Europa.

In truth, each one has its own voice, and its own special way of making it. I'm guilty of having over 22 guitars because each of them has its own voice, its own timbre, its own style, and they're very much like people: you can put eighty of them together on a platform in identical uniforms, and regardless of the fact that they look the same they're all still different.

It's the same way with each of the Reason Synths. And probably the dozen other synths that I purchased for that very same reason. Sure, I can make them sound similar to each other, yes, but for each of them there are strengths (and always weaknesses) that set them apart. I find it difficult to choose.

But then I remember my old true love Thor, and realize that I learned as much with it as I did with Europa (each taught me very different - and very important - lessons) and that's where it all breaks down. Thor? Europa? Blast! That sounds like a bad soap opera! Thor was always my number one - and still is, mostly - so we'll go with that until Europa takes me over completely. There are still things that Thor does with ease that Europa struggles with, because she just wasn't designed that way. So I'd have to settle on Thor.

[Heigen5]

Best stock synth in Reason? All of them. But if I'd really need to keep only one, I'd choose Europa.

In truth, each one has its own voice, and its own special way of making it. I'm guilty of having over 22 guitars because each of them has its own voice, its own timbre, its own style, and they're very much like people: you can put eighty of them together on a platform in identical uniforms, and regardless of the fact that they look the same they're all still different.

It's the same way with each of the Reason Synths. And probably the dozen other synths that I purchased for that very same reason. Sure, I can make them sound similar to each other, yes, but for each of them there are strengths (and always weaknesses) that set them apart. I find it difficult to choose.

But then I remember my old true love Thor, and realize that I learned as much with it as I did with Europa (each taught me very different - and very important - lessons) and that's where it all breaks down. Thor? Europa? Blast! That sounds like a bad soap opera! Thor was always my number one - and still is, mostly - so we'll go with that until Europa takes me over completely. There are still things that Thor does with ease that Europa struggles with, because she just wasn't designed that way. So I'd have to settle on Thor.

Yup! Malström is easy to program, yet so unique and versatile. Subtractor is great for synth-basses and gritty sounds and also very easy to program. Thor is great - a semi-modular synth that is full of possibilities and great for lots of the retro-sounds. Europa has a great Fx section and it can do well some more complex textures and modulated sounds. Monotone can also produce some neat sounds which I proved by making a Refill for it. The bestest thing about Reason stocks are their architecture, i.e. they are pretty straight forward to understand. And like you said, every stock synth in Reason is different in comparison, with their own strengths and weaknesses.

[thorinside]

I thought I'd chime in on this. A few months ago I was mostly joking on one of Adam Fielding's live streams, that I would live stream nothing but Complex-1 patch sessions. I've done 29 of those streams now. I feel like it's the first synth I have started to understand fully. Anyway, that'd be my vote.

[EpiGenetik]

In no particular order...

Europa
Thor
Sub
Grain
Complex-1
Friktion
Parsec
Scenic
Algoritm

I've always struggled to get on with Malstrom. I loved it back in the days of v2, of course, but when Thor came along I upgraded and never looked back. When I tried Sub and Mal later on I just couldn't get into Mal anymore - for me it sounds dated - I concede that it could be that it sounds dated to a particular time in my life rather than any audio history period.

[SynthRatings]

I don't know why but Europa never really hit home for me, Grain was the one that excited me when those two came along.
As for market impact, community contributions, patch count etc Thor has to be the clear winner, it really is (or at least was) at heart of everything Reason. Today, though, it doesn't quite cut it sonically anymore.
Parsec, no way, even with Parsec2 whatever I do with it bells seem to come out.
Malstrom is up there for sure, brilliant concept at the time and still sounds good, but it's getting long in the tooth now.
That probably leaves me with Complex-1 as the answer, if the question is "Which RS synth is the best today, discounting all history". Algorithm up there as well.